Californian exit from the union

After Trump victory, many have voiced opinions that California should secede from the union. [1] [2] Whether this view is justified by California’s massive GDP, its separate views when compared to many other states, or its disadvantage in the electoral college system of voting, the idea itself is ridiculous.

California has become what it is because it has been part of the union. The growth that is the outcome of the mutually beneficial cooperation of the states has developed and nourished California: its economy, views, culture, people, and tradition.

It’s the nature of cities, nations, and states alike that due to the dynamics of preferential attachment, some places grow disproportionally more powerful than others. California has had the good fortune to get on the good side of that progress. Initial small differences to other states there has attracted more talent, capital, and attention to migrate to the golden state which has lead to a virtuous cycle and disproportionate prosperity when compared to its peers.

And now that the state has gained the benefits from the cooperation, some of its citizens have to confidence and perhaps arrogance to suggest that the cooperation should be limited. A suggestion like that is not only immature, irresponsible, and damaging to the institutions that sustain the US, but oblivious to history and the regional dynamics that have lead to a California that currently exists.